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Tuesday, February 19, 2013

It's been a busy time here in Rio these last few weeks. Most of my time has been taken up filming stuff with Connection Rio, but I love it as it gives me an opportunity to meet new people as well as catch up with guys I may not have seen for a while.

I hung out on Barra beach with Sylvio Behring for about 30 minutes before he gave the CR guys a surfing lesson, and I always come away from our talks with something to think about. I remember one time him explaining to me Rickson Gracie's principles of connection and energy. This little lesson took place in a diner at 2am on the return leg of a road trip.

Surfing with Sylvio Behring

BJJ Hacks' latest release is online and it's a doozy. Caio Terra, never one to hold anything back, gave some great advice on approaching jiu-jitsu in a way that will you see progress technically and in a positive way. The message was great, and the rolling footage was superb. I picked up a lot from seeing him roll with his brother Kim. The rewind button got plenty of use from me, as I looked to break down some of his movements. The guy really is on another level.

People often ask me where the name for BJJ Hacks came from. Originally, the site was a magazine-style collection of interviews, articles, videos and stuff. All were aimed at hacking jiu-jitsu in such a way that we could learn the methods, tips and tricks for success and apply them to our own games.

I'm worried sometimes that people focus on the pretty video with the cool music and don't pick up on this aspect of BJJ Hacks; maybe it's too subtle.

The truth is I've learned something with every video I've made for BJJ Hacks, be it a technique, a trick, a philosophy, an attitude, whatever. My jiu-jitsu has improved markedly as a result, and I hope it's had a positive influence on those who've seen the videos too. After all, that was the whole idea.